Grassing-shovel.



J. E. IONES.

GRASSING SHOVEL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I. 1918.

1,28 1 l 67 Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

JESSE E. JONES, 0]? SENATE, MISSOURI.

GRASSING-SHOVEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

Application filed June 1, 1918. Serial No. 237,684.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown. that I, Jnssn E. JoNEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Senath, in the county of Dunklin and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grassing-Shovels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a grassing shovel designed for railway use. In many sections, especially throughout the middle west it is necessary to employ men to remove the growth of grass and weeds from between the ties.

In doing this work with the ordinary spading shovel the laborer usually starts between the rails and cleans from the center of the roadway to the rails. He then crosses one rail and cleans, up grade, from the end of the tie to the outer side of the rail. Then across the track to the opposite side and cleans out between the ties on that side. The result is that the work is either done by going over the road bed three times, or by continuous crossing from one side of the track to the other, either of which methods involves the loss of much time, and imposes unnecessary work on the laborer.

This shovel is so designed that all of the work can be done from end to end of the ties from between the rails, and the removing of the grass between the tie ends is done on a down push and not on the upgrade, making the work easier at these points.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, a rail being in section, and illustrating the manner of using the shovel in working to the ends of the ties from the center of the roadbed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the shovel.

In the drawings 1 designates a flat shovel, rectangular in shape, and having along its front a cutting edge 2. On the rear margin are two cutting edges 3, parallel to the edge 2. Between the cutting edges 3 extends a shank 4 in the plane of the blade or shovel 1, the forward portion of the shank being forked for ready securement to the blade. The rear portion of the shank is angled as at 5, and to this portion is attached a handle 6 with a hand grip 7, the handle and hand grip being at a slight angle to the shank 4:.

The shank 4 has a length equal to the distance from the inner edge of the rail base to the outer end of the tie and as it is in the same plane as the blade, the latter can be shoved under the rail and down the slope between the ties, cutting to the extreme ends of the ties, while the operator remains in his normal place between the track rails. This cutting action is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

On drawing the blade back the edges 3 will cut any weeds or grass missed on the outward thrust, thereby saving additional time and labor, as the device cuts both ways.

The advantages of this shovel for the purpose designed will be obvious to any one having experience in railway maintenance in sections where mpre or less dirt roadbed is maintained.

What I claim is:

A grassing shovel having a fiat rectangular blade with a front cutting edge and two rear cutting edges, a shank extending rearwardly between said rear cutting edges and in the plane of the blade, the rear portion of the shank being bent at an acute angle, the distance from the rear edges of the blade and said bent portion being equal to the distance between the inner edge of a rail base and the outer ends of the rail ties, the blade being adapted for projection between Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

